


The Adventures of....

by Alyson



Series: 101 Ways to Fall [12]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Actors, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2020-05-12 09:58:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19226821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alyson/pseuds/Alyson
Summary: In 2010 a hit TV show has enjoyed stellar ratings for their first season and is filming season two.  The show is an hour long, prime time, science fiction drama called Star Trek.  It stars James Kirk as Captain Christopher Pike, (Preston) Spock (who, like Beyonce, only needs one name) as first officer Number One, and Leonard McCoy as Dr. Philip Boyce.  Unfortunately, their producer, Nyota Uhura, has her finger firmly on the pulse of the fans and has discovered a phenomenon called fan fic, and the most popular pairing – Bike (Boyce/Pike).  Determined to make season two even more epic, she's going to give the fans what they want.  With the help of the director, Hikaru Sulu, and the writers, Pavel and Scotty, there may be more drama off screen than on for Kirk and McCoy.





	1. One

“Welcome to the first ever Los Vegas Star Trek Con! It's you, the fans, that have made this show the international phenomenon that it has become after only one short year and eighteen episodes!”

(“Is it international?” Jim asked Leonard quietly from backstage.

“It's shown in Japan.”

“And?”

“And Japan.”)

“We know what you're waiting for! The exclusive viewing, just for you, of the first episode of Star Trek Season Two! But first, let me introduce you to the stars of the show! This is their first viewing of the episode as well and afterwards, they'll be staying for a quick Q & A! Now give a warm welcome to Iowan born leading man, James Kirk as the Enterprise's fearless leader, Captain Pike!”

Jim walked out onto stage, waving at the screaming fans and taking the first seat in the row set up to the far side.

“Award winning star of Broadway, he needs no first name (though it's Preston) Spock as First Officer Number One!”

The long limbed actor strode across the stage with the dignity of someone born in the spotlight and took the seat next to Jim. 

“Star of 'High Noon on the Plains' and the 'Horseman' himself, Leonard McCoy as Dr. Boyce!”

Leonard took his turn, walking the stage with his trademark amble, like he had just gotten off a horse after filming one of the westerns he was famous for.

“And, as a special treat for all you die hard fans! In their very first convention appearance -”

(“This is my first convention.”

“Mine as well, Jim,” Spock agreed. “I think he's implying they haven't been seen before.”

“Oh, OK.”)

“Director Hikaru Sulu, and the series writers, Montgomery Scott and Pavel Chekov!”

The three men came onstage together and walked to their seats to polite applause.

(“Isn't Ny gonna speak at this thing?” Leonard joined in on the whispering. “It's a damn sausage party up here.”

“Thought you liked sausage?”

“Would you two like to sit next to each other?” Spock asked as he rolled his eyes.)

“Now! Let's watch the episode!”

The crowd briefly went wild, then the lights dimmed as a large screen came down on the stage and the opening strains of the series began accompanied by the Enterprise in all her digital glory streaking across the screen. The audience calmed and became enraptured by the action going on onscreen. The actors and crew members were situated just right to be able to see the scenes they had shot, all out of order now melded into a cohesive whole, and the audience's reactions.

(“Number One's an emotionless robot. Why's he always getting more action than Boyce?” Leonard joke-complained.

“Is it action? Or did he go into heat?” Jim laughed.

“It's his world's way of reproduction,” Spock whispered, more serious than the other two. “Now please, I'm trying to watch this.”

Jim and Leonard both rolled their eyes at him.)

The rest of the episode played out pretty much as the actors expected and they mostly watched their fans, enjoying the oohs and ahs, the gasps of surprise and their general enjoyment. Jim could admit that as much as he was glad they were reacting positively because it had him seeing dollar signs and being signed on for season three, he was also glad because he just liked his fans. He wanted to make them happy, as happy as their love made him. He was, after all, an actor because he loved attention.

While Jim had spent most of the episode watching his fans, he turned his focus back onto the screen for the final scene, the humorous closer that always had the three stars on the bridge, quipping at each other, after a mission well done. However, the scene this time wasn't what he expected. It seemed that 'Season of Chaos' was going to end differently. 

Number One was no where to be seen, though Jim knew Spock had been in the scene with him and Leonard. The moment came when Boyce leaned close to Pike and Pike laid a friendly hand on his arm before they laughed, parted, and turned on Number One... but that never happened. The hand stayed, the two men remained intimately close, their smiles gentle and their eyes locked. Then the credits rolled and the audience sat in stunned silence for all of two seconds before they erupted into cheers and applause louder than when the actors had been introduced.

Jim's mind boggled. It had been done very smoothly. If you didn't know that the scene was supposed to move forward, you wouldn't realize that the two actors had been frozen on screen, the moment artificially elongated while the background had been edited to continue to move around them. He could tell that they were unnaturally still, but only the most picky of fans would ever notice, and then probably not until the DVD of season two came out.

“What the hell was that?” Leonard whispered urgently at both Jim and Spock, then rounded on their director. “Hikaru, what the hell was that?”

“I, too, want to know what the hell,” Spock quietly chimed in. “My entire scene was cut.”

“Oh for the love of... Spock, the whole episode was about you. One scene is hardly a big deal.”

“I would argue, Leonard, that that scene had my best lines of the entire episode.”

“I would argue the same thing,” Pavel groused, joining in on the conversation. “I wrote that scene. That's not how I wrote it. That was much too serious. Jim, what do you think? Jim?”

Jim wasn't listening to them, though. His mind was going a mile a minute and his focus was on the microphone that was being quickly set up in the middle of the stage and the excited chatter of their fans. He had a horrible feeling about all of this.

“Let's give a warm round of applause for our first speaker, Jim Kirk! Jim?”

Jim managed to make it to the microphone and turn to face the crowd with a convincing smile. Once they had calmed down again, he picked a random girl out of the crowd sporting a Star Trek T-shirt to ask the first question. It wouldn't matter who he picked, he knew. The first question he was going to be asked was going to be the same no matter who was chosen.

“Hi, I'm Jenna,” she started. “Fan since the first episode. I think this is now the burning question on all of our minds.... Is Bike going to be made canon?!”

*~*~*~*

“You just threw us to the wolves, didn't ya?” Leonard said to her the moment Nyota Uhura, their producer, walked into the room.

After a fairly disastrous Q & A, the six men had decided to meet in Jim's rooms and they had all texted their boss, demanding her presence. They were all furious that she hadn't warned them about the edited scene and prepare them with what they could and couldn't say. It hadn't even been a matter of what the were allowed to say, in the end, because they didn't actually know anything. Regardless of what the scene had looked like, it could have meant anything and giving the fans false information would have been suicide to the series and their careers.

“Not on purpose,” she confessed, looking a little worse for wear. “The decision was made last minute, the editing done and the new episode sent to the convention organizers last night. Then, my damn flight got diverted and I dropped my phone.”

“Again?” Scotty asked, tiredly. This had been an ongoing issue. The woman was grace personified – except when she picked up a cell phone. “How did that keep you from contacting us? I got you that hard shell cover. It should have been fine.”

“I dropped it in the toilet. At the airport.”

“I hope you set it on fire.”

“Anyhow, you guys did great, especially you, Jim,” she continued, ignoring Scott. “Your answer was sensitive to their feelings without giving anything away.”

“How could I? I don't //know// anything!”

Being confronted with the question of whether or not Pike and Boyce were going to be a couple on screen, not just in fan fiction, had been a kind of hell that Jim had never been through. He knew what he wanted to say. He wanted to tell them 'hell no' but not for the reasons they would have assumed. He loved his fans, but he knew they could be fickle. One whiff of him being homophobic, even though he wasn't by a long shot, would end his career, and he wouldn't have been able to explain why he didn't want it happening. Telling them it was going to happen, when he had no idea if that was the case, could get him in more trouble than he cared to contemplate. If it went badly enough, Pike could suffer a terrible accident and Number One could suddenly be in charge – or worse, some new, younger captain. All he could say was: 'I love how enthusiastic you guys are and the different visions you all have of our show, but we're not allowed to give out information for the coming season. You have to watch, folks!'

He didn't know what the others were complaining about. He saved their bacon. They didn't have to answer that awkward question.

“Well, now that I have you all here, I can tell you,” Nyota went on. “The fans are getting what they want. Captain Pike and Dr. Boyce are going to enter into a romantic relationship by the end of the season. You two,” she carried on, ignoring everyone's shocked stares and pointing at Scott and Chekov. “You're going to need to start those rewrites right away, they need to be done right after the convention is over tomorrow so we can start filming.”

The two in question blanched.

“Just a few scenes here and there,” she tried to reassure. “Just add stuff, make it like they're starting a romance, maybe around episode nine, give us a scene in the captain's quarters where things look really intimate. We need to have the big kiss as the season finale.”

“I... I don't know if we'll have it done...”

“You know what, do what you can. Just give us enough to start filming. Any questions?”

The room was quiet for a moment before they all started speaking at once.

“What do you mean, the big kiss?”

“Is Number One losing screen time?”

“Are you outta your mind?”

“QUIET!”

Everyone, stunned, turned to look at Jim.

“Nyota,” he started, more calmly, “why? Why are we doing this? I don't care if I play a gay character, but up until that moment, he wasn't. Why change it now?”

“Jim, it's only been one season,” she replied, beseeching him to understand. “We don't really know these characters. Or, if we thought we did, they haven't been on screen so long that something like this would be coming out of left field. There are lots of hidden depths for all of the characters that haven't been explored. Maybe in the twenty third century, sexuality is such a non issue that it just hasn't come up for Pike and Boyce in this first year and falling in love with each other is perfectly natural for them. And it's what the fans want. I don't know if you've noticed, but almost all of your fans are Bike fans. Even the ones who aren't into fan fic, when asked, say they think they're together secretly. You may not have meant to, but you kinda played them that way. And your fans love you. Come on guys, don't make this hard. Just go with it.”

“Ummm...”

“No, Spock,” Ny sighed, “Number One is getting plenty of screen time. The new relationship won't affect him.”

“Thank you.”

“You know what?” Jim suddenly said. “I'd feel more comfortable if I had a chance to discus this with Len. Alone. Please.”

“OK, Jim,” Nyota agreed, and ushered everyone out.

Once they were alone, Jim brought out a bottle of whiskey and two crystal tumblers he had managed to get through in his baggage in one piece. He poured them each a generous serving and handed the other man one. They drank in silence until their glasses were drained, then Leonard crossed to him, took his glass from his hand and set them both down. He wrapped his arms around the blonde's waist.

“What do you need, Jim?” he asked quietly, and began kissing his neck. Jim lifted his arms and gripped Leonard's broad shoulders, closing his eyes.

“Are we that obvious?” Jim asked instead of answering, tilting his head back to give the other man more room to maneuver. “I mean, can they tell that we're sleeping together? Is that what they're seeing? Cause we're just friends.”

“Mmm hmm,” Leonard hummed. “Friends with benefits.”

“Yeah,” Jim agreed. “Really great benefits.”

“So, what do you need?” Leonard asked again, lifting his head to rake his lips across the other man's mouth.

“I need you inside me,” Jim decided. “I need to forget everything and feel nothing but you for the next while.”

“You got it, Darl'n.”

Jim sighed as he was stripped of his clothes and laid on the bed by his gentle and thorough lover. 

When they had first landed the roles of Pike and Boyce they had spent a lot of time together rehearsing their parts and getting to know each other. It had been clear that they were physically attracted to the other, and got along well, but neither man wanted to start a relationship just then, and didn't want to risk their working relationship with a failed romantic one, so they agreed to indulge themselves in the physical side but keep the emotional side out of it. That attraction, the physicality they shared; it wasn't a surprise that it had bled over into their portrayal of their characters, but they certainly weren't in love.

So why did their fans think Pike and Boyce were?


	2. Two

“Chris, you need some sleep.”

“I know, Phil, but right now, with Number One in danger, I can't, I just can't! I close my eyes, and....”

“I know Chris, I know.”

“And, cut!”

Everyone relaxed as Hikaru ran over to the two men in the spotlight.

“Alright, that was good,” he started, “but you're not standing close enough. There. Now, this time, when you say, 'Chris, you need some sleep' put your hands on his shoulders and start massaging. OK, let's take it from that scene.”

Hikaru ran back to his place while the makeup crew swept in and touched up the stars' eyes before scattering. Leonard, several inches closer to Jim's back where he sat in his command chair, rolled his eyes.

“Any closer and I'm gonna be in your lap.”

“That's not for three more episodes,” Jim quipped then let a serious mask slip over his features.

“And, action!”

*~*~*~*

“Jim, you need some sleep.”

“I know, Len, I just can't.”

They had been filming for three weeks and with each episode they completed Pike and Boyce got closer and closer. There were more looks, more touches, caresses, hugs that began to linger. There were moments of watching one while the other wasn't looking, of soft smiles and silent conversations. And each time Pike and Boyce became the least bit intimate Jim and Leonard pulled back, not wanting their relationship to be obvious.

It was affecting their work, and ticking Nyota off. All that chemistry they shared was at best strained. What had come so easy during season one, the electricity that made the fans decide they must be in love, was gone and all the scenes had to be shot over and over until any semblance of what they had before was captured. No one could understand why.

“Come here,” Leonard coaxed, and pulled his friend against him where they were lounging on the sofa in his home. The fireplace was lit and burning bright, and they had already had a couple of drinks and were working on a third. “We gotta stop this, you know.”

“What? The sex?” Jim asked. His body had stiffened in Leonard's hold. He had always known their arrangement was temporary, he just hadn't realized how upset he'd be once it ended, but he tried not to react too much. He wanted to keep Len as a friend, at the very least.

“No, of course not,” Leonard replied and squeezed him tight. Jim relaxed and laid his head on his chest. “Pulling away from each other. I know it's mostly subconscious. We don't want the others to know about our friends with benefits status, but before we weren't thinking about it, we were just being ourselves. That's what everyone saw and liked.”

“I don't get it, though,” Jim shrugged from his position against Leonard. “You're right, we were just being ourselves. We were being friends and fuck buddies and nothing more. I get that was great chemistry, but love? Why would they think our characters were in love? If anything they should have thought they occasionally got it on for some much needed stress relief.”

“I don't know,” Leonard sighed. “Maybe that's just how they translated it. We know what we are, let them think what they want. It makes them happy and keeps them watching us. We all win. Now, it's late and you haven't been sleeping well, which is why I wanted you over here. Come on, let's go to bed.”

“Don't know if I can go to sleep.”

“Well, if three drinks didn't do it, I've got something that will.”

Leonard pulled Jim up to stand and led him to his bedroom, a place as familiar to Jim as his was to Leonard. They stopped beside the bed and Leonard wrapped his arms around his lover, kissing him deeply before unbuttoning first Jim's then his own shirt.

It was slow and sweet between them, all gentle caresses and sucking kisses. Often they gripped and bit, passion bubbling through their laughter, but that moment there was no laughter just soft sighs and murmured words of praise and encouragement. Leonard rolled Jim flat on his back and straddled his hips, riding him while gazing into his eyes and holding his hands for balance. Jim stared back, mouth opened in little gasps from the incredible pleasure of it.

When they finished, Leonard streaking over his and Jim's stomach, Jim emptying into him, they lay in each other's arms, kissing and stroking each other until Jim's eyes grew heavy and he finally gave into sleep. Leonard took that opportunity to slide out of bed and get a warm cloth to clean the younger man before slipping back next to him and gently wrapping him in his arms. Jim didn't wake, just curled into the embrace. Leonard covered them both.

As he drifted off to sleep with his best friend in his arms, Leonard thought about what he had said to Jim earlier on the couch. Yes, they knew what they were to each other. Didn't they?

*~*~*~*

“What can I do for you, Doctor?”

“Well, now, I'm not your doctor right now, Chris, I'm your bartender. Have a drink with me.”

“My bartender, huh?”

“Oh yes, I've found that a man will talk to his bartender about things he'd never talk to his doctor about. Well, and his barber. But I thought I was better suited to serve you a drink than cut your hair.”

“True, Phil, true. But, while I appreciate the drink, I don't have anything I need to talk about.”

“Really? Seems to me that when the Queen of the Sers left to return to her planet, she took your heart, too.”

“Now, Phil, I'd like to think you know that's not true. She can't take what she didn't have.”

“But I thought...”

“You thought wrong. My heart is right here, in this room.”

“Still in your chest where it belongs, huh? Guess I should have come as your doctor, after all.”

“Well, I said it was in the room, didn't say it was in my chest.”

“Cut! And print! Thank god, one take.”

Jim and Leonard broke their positions, pulling away from the forehead touch their characters were in for the ending of that episode. It was the second to last of the season and they knew that the big Bike finale was coming up – they would have to kiss on camera for the world to see. They had almost convinced themselves that it was no big deal.

“That's more like it!” Ny exclaimed as she came up to them, grinning ear to ear. “There's that chemistry I was looking for! I'm so glad you two got it back. See? You just had to get over yourselves.”

“What I can't get over,” Leonard groused, “were those lines. Hey! Which one of you two wrote this drivel!?”

“You pipe down!” Scotty yelled back from across the set. “That's a fine piece of romantic banter, that is!”

“Romantic? You wouldn't know romance from the hole in your ass!”

“Oh, there she is,” Nyota said, pulling Jim's attention away from Leonard and Scotty shouting abuse at each other. “Christine! Over here!”

“Who's the blonde?” he asked only half interested.

“That's my friend, Christine Chapel,” Ny explained. “And she's not for you. She's for.... Leonard, leave Scotty alone and come over here. We're not changing the lines or re-shooting that scene. I have someone for you to meet.”

Jim continued to watch the interactions of the people around him, really only paying minimal attention. He was just waiting for everyone to be done with them so he and Leonard could get out of there and go entertain each other. They were celebrating getting back on track and he intended to take the other man back to his place and introduce him to the cans of spray whip he had gotten just for the occasion.

“Well, sure, I could show her around a bit,” he heard Leonard say, and immediately whipped around to pay closer attention to what was being said.

“Oh good,” Ny was enthusing. “I'm so busy tonight, but I promised Christine I'd take her to that play and I already have the tickets, so this is great! She won't miss it and they won't go to waste! Hey, Chris, didn't you say you wanted to try that new steak place, too?”

“Oh, well, yes, but we could...”

“Nonsense, we'll go after the play, talk about how bad it was,” Leonard joked. “It'll be fun.”

“Um, hello?” Jim interrupted, waiving his hand to get their attention. “Tonight? Len, we had that thing.”

“What thing?”

“You know, with the lines and the dinner, OUR thing, that we always do.”

“Jim, you and I are both ready for the last episode, there's nothing to worry about. And yeah, we always do that, which is why we can skip it tonight. Christine's visiting just a few days. You and I could do our thing later.”

“Oh. I could go with you!”

“I only have two tickets,” Ny said through clenched teeth disguised as a smile. “And it's sold out.”

“Oh,” Jim sighed, disappointed, before having another thought. “When's it over? I can meet you guys at the restaurant.”

“Jim,” Ny hissed and pushed the other two towards the stage exit. Jim threw his hands up in surrender.

As Nyota escorted the pair away from him, Jim exited from the opposite direction and ran towards Leonard's dressing room, beating him to it and dashing inside. He waited, catching his breath, for the other man to get there.

“Yeah, that sounds great,” Len was saying as he walked in the door. “I'll see you tonight, Christine.”

He closed the door and turned around, not the least bit surprised to see Jim standing there.

“What is your problem?” he asked as he began to change out of his Star Trek costume. Jim just glared at him, stubbornly still in his gold, glittery shirt, arms crossed over his chest.

“You know damn well our 'thing' isn't going over lines.”

“I do know that,” Leonard smiled fondly at him. “But I stick by what I was saying. We can fuck another time, Darl'n.”

“That's not the point,” Jim pouted, watching his friend methodically remove his make up before putting on his street clothing. “We always spend out time after we film with each other.”

“Are you jealous?” Len asked incredulously.

“No! I just don't want you going on this date.”

“It's not a date.”

“The hell it isn't.”

“I'm doing Ny a favor.”

“Ny is setting you up with that woman.”

“Well, maybe I want her to!”

Jim stepped back in shock and, inexplicably, hurt.

“Damn it, Jim,” Leonard sighed as he put his face in his hands. “You and I both know this was always temporary. Now, I admit I like what we have and I wish things could go on as they are forever. But we're stagnating. If we don't both go out and see what else it out there, we're going to have nothing but regrets in a few years. Now, the way I see it, I can go out with Chris, who is leaving in a few days so it's not going to be a big romance, and see how that feels. Nothing has to change between you and me; not until one of us starts to seriously date. And then? We'll see. But eventually...”

“Yeah,” Jim finished quietly. “Eventually we're going to have to stop sleeping together. You're going to settle down, get married, and you're no cheater.”

“You neither,” Leonard smiled sadly. “You're no cheater and I bet when you finally decide to put yourself out there, you'll be snagged up by someone wonderful before I am.”

Leonard picked up his messenger bag and walked over to Jim, pulling him close and kissing him solidly. 

“But that's not right now. I'll come over tomorrow and you can rock my world, like you promised.”

“OK,” Jim agreed, trying to muster up a smile, but failing miserably.

Whether or not Leonard noticed, he went out the door, leaving Jim in the wrong dressing room, still in costume, feeling as if someone wonderful had already passed him over.


	3. Three

Jim went home to his empty house, poured himself a drink, and sat not watching the news on his big screen TV. After awhile, he gave in to curiosity and brought out his laptop, checking what time the play started and ended. He had half a mind to crash it and drag Len out of there. He squashed that idea, knowing he'd just piss him off. And get them in the tabloids. And probably sued.

He finally got up and threw a microwave dinner in the oven, standing and just watching it rotate. When he sat down to eat it though, he just picked at it. He normally didn't care, but this time it tasted a lot like cardboard. He entertained the idea of going out to eat, but ended up just grabbing a can of whipped cream and spraying it in his mouth. He did that over and over until the can was half empty and the sweetness was upsetting his stomach and leaving his mouth sticky.

He trudged to the bathroom, brushing the taste of unappealing food from his mouth, rinsing his lips of the sticky cream, before looking at his reflection with a critical eye. He looked good. Even frowning, his expression slightly drooping, he was handsome. He straightened his hair a bit, wondering why he was home alone. Why Leonard was out with someone else and not there with him. Why would he be concerned about dating right now? He had a hot blonde right here, and he was a sure thing. He couldn't be sure Christine would put out.

Wait? What if she did? Would Leonard take her up on it? Jim scowled. They didn't make the promise of forever to each other, but they sure as hell made the promise of exclusivity. They had wanted a steady partner to screw with and not get a reputation or an STI. He best damn well not sleep with her.

And then he dropped his face into his hands with a groan. He knew what he was doing; he knew what this was. He was jealous. He was so jealous he was surprised his eyes hadn't turned from blue to green. Jim Kirk finally admitted to himself that he and Leonard hadn't been having a fling, they had been having a romance.

Leonard wouldn't be able to deny it, either. Oh, sure, it had started out as a fling. They'd meet at one or the other's place, fuck an ass already prepped and get the hell out. They'd barely touch each other. Barely a week into it, they had become good friends and were sharing a drink before, then after. The kissing started naturally enough. Jim had stopped by unexpectedly one day, feeling kinda tense, and Leonard wasn't in the mood. So Jim had teased him, tickling his sides, then kissing his neck... that was also the first time they had cuddled afterwards. 

Now, now when they met in private, no matter where they were or what the occasion was, they kissed. They took opportunities to neck like teenagers when they knew damn well it wasn't going to lead to sex. They spent weekends together, curled up on sofas, watched movies and ate chips out of the same bag. They had romantic, candle lit dinners for the love of....

Jim checked the time, grabbed his keys, and stormed out of the house.

*~*~*~*

It was raining when he got to the restaurant. He spotted Leonard's car and decided to wait next to it instead of causing a scene. What he saw as the pair walked out and towards his vehicle together, though, made his blood boil and wish he hadn't been so considerate. 

They were, somehow, standing closer than sharing a large umbrella warranted. Christine was right under his arm, her arm wrapped around his waist, and despite how plastered to his side she was, she still felt it necessary to lean in and whisper something directly in his ear. Jim was pretty damn sure she ended it with a nip to his earlobe and that Len was smiling and blushing.

Oh, hell no.

Once Leonard had gotten Christine inside the car and the door closed, Jim hopped out of his car and called out to him, walking quickly over, uncaring of how the rain was starting to soak into his clothes.

“Jim?” Leonard was confused even as he tried covering the other man with his umbrella. “What are you doing here?”

“I need to talk to you,” he said. 

“Now is not a good time,” Len frowned and started to move away. “We'll talk in the morning before filming.”

“What's the damn hurry?” Jim shouted after him and Len moved back to him, to keep him from yelling. “Gotta get her back to yours?”

“What? Jim, just go home. I'll call you later, OK?”

“I wanted to talk to you face to face, but you're too busy wanting to get back to her. Are you gonna fuck her?”

“Damn it, Jim! That's a horrible thing to ask!”

“You made a promise!”

“I know! So, maybe you should...”

Jim punched him. It wasn't a particularly hard punch, but it was enough to snap Leonard's head to the side and it was definitely going to leave a bruise on his jaw.

“You son of a bitch,” Leonard said with deadly quiet. Jim just stared in shock at what he had done. “I have never put my hands on you in anger.”

“Len, I'm sorry, I don't know what just came over me,” Jim said quietly, and tears started to run down his face, his expression devastated.

“You don't know? No, I guess you don't. You don't know why you were jealous I agreed to take Christine out tonight, you don't know why the idea of us eventually ending our relationship upsets you and I bet you don't even know why you came out here tonight. What did you want to talk to me about? LINES?”

“No, no Len, I know why about all those things now, I get it, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I shouldn't have hit you, I didn't mean....”

“No you shouldn't have. And I don't want to talk to you right now. I have a very drunk friend I need to get home before she throws up, passes out or both.”

“Drunk? Oh, god, Len, I'm sorry. Please...”

“No, Jim, no. I'm done.”

Jim stood, soaked to the skin, and watched Leonard drive away. He was done. Len just told him that he was done with him. He didn't even have a chance to tell him that he'd figured out they were in love, they didn't need to move on and find real partners, they were real partners they just needed to come out. He didn't get a chance to even feel for a moment like a real couple with the other man because he had been dumped.

He had ruined everything. Hitting him, that had been unforgivable. Why had he done that? The thought that he would sleep with someone else, that he would essentially cheat on him, had hurt so bad he had wanted to hurt Leonard back. How could he do that, though? He didn't deserve to be with Leonard.

Jim got back in his car and drove slowly home. Not caring how wet he was getting his seat.

*~*~*~*

//What do you mean you're not coming in?//

“What do you mean what do I mean?” Jim answered with a frown that he was sure Nyota could hear clearly over the phone. “I'm not coming in. Film the parts you don't need me for.”

//You're the main character of the damn show! That's not very many!//

“Well, it looks like the crew gets an early day, then, doesn't it? Yipee.”

//Jim, what's wrong?// Ny asked with concern, clearly trying a different tactic. //Are you upset I didn't set you up with Christine?//

“That lush? Hell no.”

//She doesn't normally drink like that. Wait, did Leonard call to gossip about her with you?//

“No. I gotta go, I don't feel well.”

He hung up on her. Staring at the phone, he considered calling Leonard and telling him as well that he wouldn't be coming in. Maybe it would make him feel bad. Jim sighed and put the phone down on his coffee table. He didn't want Leonard to feel bad. The break up had been completely his fault. He should have just trusted Leonard and talked to him about their relationship in the morning. His jealously had gotten the better of him.

Still in his pajamas, Jim laid down on his sofa on his side and turned the TV on, not caring what was on.

*~*~*~*

The entire day passed without a call from Leonard. He hadn't wanted to admit it, but he had been hoping that his absence would have concerned the other man. He should have known better. He had fucked up in the worst way and his former lover wouldn't care if he jumped off a bridge at this point. Not that he wanted to do that. 

Jim knew he wouldn't sleep, but he didn't know what else to do, so he peeled himself from the couch he had spent most of the day on and turned to head to his room. He was stopped by the sound of someone knocking on his door. When he peered out the peephole, he was shocked to see Leonard.

“Hey,” the older man said when the door was opened.

Jim looked him up and down, not sure what he was looking for, his eyes stopping on the bruise that graced the side of his jaw. Jim reached up to touch it, but stopped, his hand hanging between them for just a moment before it dropped back to his side. Uncontrollably, Jim burst into tears, hating himself for the weakness.

“Oh, darl'n,” Leonard whispered and stepped inside, closing the door behind him and pulling Jim into his arms. “I'm sorry, sweetheart, this is my fault, too.”

“No,” he sobbed into the other man's shoulder, clinging to him desperately. “I hit you. I messed up, and now you're done with me.”

“I'm not done with you,” he said, pushing him back so he could look him in the eye. “Jim, I was done talking to you last night, I wasn't done with you full stop.”

“You didn't break up with me?”

“No.”

“You should have,” Jim said firmly, wiping his nose on the sleeve of his robe. “I hit you. That's unforgivable.”

“If you ever hit me again, yeah, you can be sure I won't be forgiving you for that, but I pushed you. I knew I was pushing you too far, but I didn't stop.”

“You didn't push me,” Jim argued, trying to remember how he might have been pushed.

“Yeah, I did,” Leonard sighed and led Jim over to the sofa. “I knew you were jealous I was going out with Christine and used that as an opportunity to get you to say something about your feelings, about our relationship.”

“Why didn't you say something to me?”

“Because I'm a coward. So I pushed you until you snapped. Though in my defense, I didn't expect Christine to get blinding drunk and overly friendly. I never meant to make you think I would actually sleep with her.”

“I should have trusted you.”

“So, it's agreed,” Leonard smiled, touching Jim's face. “We both screwed up, we should have talked to each other, and we're good now?”

“How good?” Jim asked, still sniffling and leaning against him.

“Well, I think we should end our friends with benefits arrangement,” he replied seriously. Jim just looked at him. “Not falling for that and getting upset with me again, huh. OK. I think we should drop the idea that we'll end what we have and find love with someone else someday. Let's just admit, we've already found what we want and start planning a real future together.”

“That's better,” Jim agreed, his heart lightening and joy returning to him, his world seeming bright and happy again, full of possibilities. “Are we going to tell people? Our fans?”

“That's part of it, isn't it?” Leonard agreed. “And we have the best fans in the world. Us being together will only make them happy, except for a weird few, but you can't please everyone. As for everyone else, we'll figure out a way to tell them.”

Jim smiled and kissed his lover, so happy that they were together after spending the night before and all that day thinking he'd never be in his arms again. It almost didn't feel real, but when Leonard pushed his robe off his shoulders and opened his pajama top, it felt very real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That didn't go at all how I planned. There was going to be a brief confrontation, he was going to think Len slept with her, he wasn't going to find out it was a drunk thing until the next day, on set... Jim and Bones hijacked the story.
> 
> Also, at the end of ch 2 when Len is thinking they knew what they were to each other, it was more of a thought of he knew he loved Jim, didn't Jim know he loved him?


	4. Four

The next day, they went in together. No separate cars, no staggering their arrival. They sat together in the front seat of Jim's sports car, Leonard in the driver's seat, both wearing designer sunglasses and holding large lattes, neither looking completely awake. Gate security gave them an odd look, but just shrugged his shoulders and raised the bar to let them drive through.

“Miranda,” Leonard said to the woman rushing to his side as they walked into the studio. “I'm heading with Jim to his dressing room. Have someone bring my makeup chair and and tell Deidre we'll be doing hair and makeup in there today. Tell costuming to bring my outfits in with Jim's. You know, just tell anyone who needs to bring stuff or see me in my dressing room that I've moved.”

“And why have you moved into Jim's dressing room?” his assistant asked, completely confused. 

“Because it's the bigger of the two,” Jim chimed in. “But let Ms. Uhura know we need to see her, please. Or tell my assistant to do that, if you can find where he's sleeping.”

“No problem, Mr. Kirk, I'll take care of it.”

“Thanks, Miranda,” he smiled as she dashed off and he and Leonard entered his dressing room. “Think she could handle both of our schedules?”

“Don't see why not,” Leonard shrugged. “She's complained before that I don't challenge her and a lot of our scheduling will be joint. It will help, too, to have one person who knows what we're both doing so we won't get confused and wonder where the other is or what he's doing.”

“Makes sense.”

There was a knock on the dressing room door and two men were coming in with a lighted mirror, a dressing table and a chair. They slid Jim's to one side and placed Leonard's right next to it, as they were instructed, then left. The actors got seated just as the women who applied their makeup made an appearance and began working on them, not asking why the change in location, just taking advantage of the opportunity to chat with each other. By the time they were done, their costumes for the last episode had been dropped off and they were helping each other into their standard uniform outfits for the first scene.

“Hey, guys,” Nyota said as she walked in. “I was told you needed to see me. What happened to your dressing room Leonard?”

“What? No happy to see I'm feeling better?” Jim asked.

“I am happy to see you feeling better, Jim,” she placated him, just managing not to roll her eyes. “I'm a little more concern with Leonard's dressing room, though. Does it smell funny? Is the color suddenly bothering you? We're definitely signed on for seasons three, four and five so I can get it taken care of.”

“Actually, Jim and I just need a bigger one, starting next season.”

“Yeah,” Jim continued for him. “We like the set up we've got here with our makeup stations, but the area needs to be a bit bigger to accommodate the costumes and space to get dressed for two grown men. And, since we both have clauses in our contracts for a dressing room each, I don't think it's unreasonable to request a dressing room twice the size if we're sharing. We'd like to have a small sitting area so we can over our lines together privately, and dining table, for when we want to have lunch alone.”

“Wait, why are you sharing a dressing room?” she asked, looking from one man to the other, trying to figure out the punch line.

“Because of the relationship,” Leonard answered, as if that explained everything.

“What? You mean between Pike and Boyce?”

“Places, everyone!” they heard Hikaru yelling from the sound stage.

“That's us,” Jim smiled and headed past Nyota out the door. “See if you can't get us some sketches for designs over the break. There's no hurry, so long as it's ready by the time we come back to film season three.”

“What?” she asked again, watching as they both walked away, trying to figure out what was going on, then following them out and calling after them. “Just because Pike and Boyce are in a relationship doesn't mean you two have to share a dressing room! Guys? What's wrong with you?”

“OK, guys, it's season two, episode eighteen, Day of the Gorn, scene one. And action!”

*~*~*~*

“And, cut! Guys? That's not where you're supposed to kiss,” Hikaru frowned.

“Oh?” Leonard pulled away from Jim and looked at him. “Are you sure?”

“This is only the third scene,” he replied, confused, a common issue on the set, it seemed. “You're not supposed to kiss until the last scene, which we're doing last. You've jumped the gun.”

“Oh, sorry,” Leonard laughed, looking bashful. 

“No problem, let's just try that again.”

*~*~*~*

“Cut! Guys, you kissed too early again! We're only halfway through the episode!”

“Sorry, my fault that time!” Jim called as he let Leonard go.

“Just, just take that scene from the top.”

*~*~*~*

“Cut!” a very frustrated Hikaru screamed at them. “What the hell guys! You weren't even in that scene! It's like you want to kiss!”

“Sorry!” they said together, reluctantly releasing each other, again.

“You're standing on my spot,” Spock griped at them. “Please go make out in your dressing room.”

“You know, I've just realized something,” Jim whispered to Leonard once they were off the sound stage and watching from the sidelines. “Spock knows.”

“I've suspected that before,” Leonard whispered back. “But what do you think he knows? That we were just having sex? Or that we're in a relationship now?”

“Who knows.”

“Come on guys, pipe down!” Hikaru was nearly crying.

*~*~*~*

“OK, we're finally here,” Hikaru announced, breathing hard. “We only went two hours over schedule. Not bad, I guess, considering how often Pike and Boyce kept jumping the gun. And no, Leonard, I do not think Boyce would have run out and given Pike mouth to mouth when he was attacked by the Gorn. Especially since he was still on the ship and no one could beam down!”

Everyone stood around fidgeting, looking uncomfortable as Hikaru had a mini breakdown then hid his face in his hands as he gathered himself. Jim and Leonard stood proudly in front, smiling, unrepentant.

“OK,” Hikaru finally looked back up. “This is the final scene, but instead of taking place on the Bridge like usual, Pike is resting in his quarters after a traumatic day and Boyce has just let himself in. Places, everyone.”

“OK guys!” Nyota announced as everyone took their places and Jim and Leonard took their spots as the only two actors in the scene. “I've got champagne for the final scene! Once Hikaru yells cut AND print, I'll pop the cork and we'll celebrate the end of a great season and the beginning of television history!”

“Great,” Hikaru said dully, not trusting that this scene was going to go any better than the rest. “Ready? Action!”

“Phil?” Pike said in surprise and rose from the bed, meeting the other man by the screen separating his sleeping and living areas. “What are you doing here? I thought you said I needed uninterrupted rest?”

“I can't do it, Chris,” the other man said as he wrapped his arms around his captain's waist and pulled him close. “I love you. We've been dancing around this too long, and after nearly losing you...”

“Yes?”

“Oh, Darl'n, I still can't believe that I was stupid enough not to just tell you how I feel. I almost lost you.”

//Are those the lines?//

//I don't know.//

//I didn't write that.//

“You'd never lose me,” Jim said softly, going off script right with Leonard. “You're my foundation, my very bones. I can't live without you.”

“I can't live without you either. You know, the changes we've made? They aren't enough.”

//What is he talking about? What changes?//

//Oh god, they're doing it again. We'll still be filming this when season three starts.//

“What do you suggest? We could live together, but where?”

//On the ship? What the hell?//

“Let's sell both our homes and buy a new one together.”

“I'd love that,” Jim enthused. “A place that's ours, together, as a family. Let's do it. Um, let's make sure it's at least three bedrooms, though. You know, in case we want to expand our family.”

“Oh, Darl'n,” Leonard sighed, eyes going impossibly softer as he looked at his love. “That would make me so happy.”

They closed the gap at the same time, kissing passionately while everyone watched. Nyota's jaw dropped open and she popped the cork without even noticing, champagne spilling all over the floor to absolute silence.

“I fucking give up,” Hikaru threw the pages to his script up in the air, turned around, and walked away. “Do what ever the hell you want!”

“Yes, we get the point,” Spock rolled his eyes. “You've decided to stop just fucking around and are finally getting together properly. My brother Symon is a realtor, he's very good, I'll put you in touch. Now can we do the scene right? Please?”

Jim and Leonard pulled apart and laughed hysterically, holding tight to each other.

*~*~*~*

“Finally, thank you,” Hikaru breathed a sigh of relief when it was finally over. “Four months before this hell begins again.”

“Hey, I could direct one,” Jim suggested. “I've been wanting to, but Nyota keeps shooting me down. Come on, Hikaru's stressed out. Ooo! I could direct and he could make a special guest appearance as a helmsman, or something! It would be great!”

“That's silly,” Leonard laughed, walking with Jim towards the exit as they talked. “Next thing you know you're going to stick Pavel on the Bridge, too, or Ny!”

“How about Scotty?”

“Scotty? Maybe hide him in Engineering. He leans awkwardly. He wouldn't look natural on screen. He could be a voice over the comm system. You know, that's not half bad. Hey, Ny! I want to direct an episode next season, too!”

“Oh my god,” Nyota moaned as she waved them on. “Just concentrate on your new life together. You're going to have a lot to navigate between now and next season. I'm happy for you, but don't even think about directing.”

“She's right,” Jim said to Leonard. “We'll talk more about what episodes we'll direct when the scripts are written.”

And they were gone before Nyota could say anything to that. She hoped she didn't hear from them until they were about start filming again. They had been too much trouble during season two.

“Wait,” Spock interrupted her thoughts, making her grit her teeth in annoyance. “If they get to direct an episode, I want to direct one, too.”

“No one said they're going to get to!” Nyota shouted at him, fed up with it all. “They said they wanted to! You're not being left out! Ugh, Spock! You need to get laid!”

“Are you offering?” he asked, his head tilting much like Number One's, but the smirk all his.

“Yes!” she replied, seemingly not able to change her tone of voice, dealing with Jim and Leonard finally sticking her in angry producer mode.

“May I take you to dinner first?” he continued, completely ignoring the shouting.

“That would be nice!”

She really hoped season three went better.

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to post this over for weeks, but I couldn't stand it lol. I went on a writing spree and have two more, longer stories almost done. I read saving up all these chapters because I'm supposed to be working on non fanfic writing, but I still wanted to post. Oh well :). I love you and I want to give you McKirk!!!


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